1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a thin film transistor (TFT) having a uniform characteristics and of which a manufacturing process is simplified, a TFT manufactured using the method, a method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display apparatus that includes the TFT, and an organic light-emitting display apparatus manufactured using the method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a thin film transistor (TFT) including a polycrystalline silicon layer is characterized as having excellent electron mobility and an ability to configure a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) circuit, so that the TFT can be used in a switching device of a high-definition (HD) display panel, a projection panel requiring a high amount of light, or the like.
According to the related art, a TFT is manufactured in a manner that an amorphous silicon layer is formed on a substrate, the amorphous silicon layer is crystallized into a polycrystalline silicon layer, and then the polycrystalline silicon layer is patterned into a predetermined shape to produce a semiconductor layer. Afterward, a gate insulating layer is formed to completely cover the semiconductor layer, and a gate electrode is formed on the gate insulating layer. However, in the manufacturing method according to the related art, various processes have to be performed from the formation of the amorphous silicon layer to the formation of the gate electrode, so that the manufacturing method is complicated and the manufacturing time is increased.
Also, according to the related art, a crystallization process is performed while the amorphous silicon is exposed to air. Also, in a process in which the polycrystalline silicon layer is patterned into a predetermined shape, the polycrystalline silicon layer contacts photoresist (PR). In this regard, the amorphous silicon layer or the polycrystalline silicon layer in the crystallization process and the patterning process may be contaminated, so that the TFT does not exhibit uniform characteristics but has a distribution of characteristics.
The aforementioned description of the related art is technical information that is retained by the inventor so as to derive the invention or that is obtained by the invention when the inventor derives the invention, so that the technical information may not be prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102.